Damian Lillard trade rumors: Blazers star would only report to training camp in Portland or Miami, per report

Months after his trade request, Damian Lillard stays a member of the Portland Trail Blazers, and has now not budged on his stance that he only desires to be traded to the Miami Heat. The two golf equipment have now not but been ready to agree on a deal, then again, and with training camps set to open in a couple of weeks, that leaves everybody asking two large questions. 

1. Will the Blazers and Heat really feel the power of the approaching season and in the end choose a deal?

2. What occurs if there is no trade altogether, or some other staff comes to a decision to cross all in and is of the same opinion to a Lillard change with the Blazers?

According to Shams Charania, who spoke to “The Rally” on Monday afternoon, the 2 facets will quickly re-start negotiations, and, maximum significantly, Lillard will only report to training camp with the Blazers or the Heat. 

Here’s Charania: 

“I expect Portland and Miami to re-engage before the start of training camps in the next two-and-a-half weeks. At this point, I’m told, the only two training camps that Damian Lillard would report to, in theory, are Portland and Miami. If a team like Toronto, for instance, were to trade for a Damian Lillard, I do not believe Lillard would even report. I believe that standing trade request would still be there if he were to be traded to a team like Toronto, or anyone else who wants to take a chance at this situation. 

“Teams across the league, ever since this trade request in early July, they have understood {that a} man like Damian Lillard, on the age of 33, with $216 million left on his deal in the following 4 seasons. Him becoming a member of their program and short of a trade in an instant is amazingly un-ideal, 

“You look at this situation, the one thing you keep coming back to is, Miami and Portland, are they able to get a deal done or not? The league has really been on pause since early July with a lot of the major moves. Everyone’s been waiting on this.”

First of all, it is notable that Charania makes use of the Raptors for instance a couple of occasions. We know that Raptors president Masai Ujiri isn’t afraid to make daring strikes, and the Raptors also are having a look to transfer in a brand new route after an eventful offseason that noticed each Nick Nurse and Fred VanVleet leave. They even have some intriguing younger avid gamers and numerous draft selections at their disposal; the recipe is there if they would like to make a swing. Whether the Raptors have had any significant conversations with the Blazers is unclear, however Charania’s report hints at some pastime there. 

In any case, his report that Lillard would now not report to training camp out of doors of Portland or Miami raises some eyebrows. Lillard has 4 years and $216 million left on his contract, and has made his identify on his dedication to laborious paintings and a determination to getting higher. It stays extraordinarily laborious to consider that Lillard would take a seat out if he was once traded to some other membership and now not only forego the cash however fail to see enjoying significant basketball. This looks like a negotiating tactic from Lillard’s camp greater than a possible truth.